Dr Tran Anh Tu (right) and his colleague during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam last year. – Photo courtesy of the health ministry

Since the start of the pandemic, Tu has been working at the Infectious Disease Control Department of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

He has been among the frontline workers heading to COVID-19 hot spots like Son Loi Commune in Vinh Phuc Province, Ha Loi Hamlet in Hanoi, Da Nang City and Hai Duong Province.

Now his hard work, dedication and efforts have been rewarded.

Tu has been named among ten exemplars of Vietnamese youth in 2020 as a role model in labour and production thanks to his active participation in the COVID-19 fight.

Tu majored in preventive medicine and was worried he was lacking experience when he first began his work.

He said “People stay away from the outbreak’s epicentre and infection sources while preventive medicine doctors must head to the hot spots.”

Tu was lucky to be assisted by senior colleagues and gradually got used to the work.

“The more experience I have and the more work I have done, the more I love my job. Facing challenges in the job helps young people grow up,” he said.

After six years working as a preventive medicine doctor, Tu understands that he and his colleagues face high risks of infection and might become transmission sources for relatives.

Being aware of this risk, he regularly has health check-ups and tests to make sure he is not infected.

Tu has also taken advantage of IT in the pandemic’s prevention and control to improve efficiency.

He is also dedicated to providing professional guidance and support to medical workers at local healthcare facilities.

Dr Tu has shared new knowledge in two international scientific articles on COVID-19 in Vietnam which he acts as a co-author.

He received a certificate of merit from the Minister of Science and Technology for his outstanding achievements in researching and applying science and technology to analyse and process epidemiological information, contributing to localisation and control of COVID-19 in Vietnam.

Receiving the "Outstanding young Vietnamese faces” award, a prestigious award to honour excellent youth in various sectors since 1996, came as a big surprise to Tu.

He said the pandemic prevention and control work required the participation of many people.

“I only represent those people to receive the award which recognises contribution of a group, not any individual.”

The award shows the recognition of community to those working in preventive medicine sector.

Tu added: "I feel proud to be one of the individuals who have contributed to the overall achievement of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology. The award gave me opportunities to share more about the work of community doctors.”  

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